Iglesias showing increased maturity on the field and off

BOSTON — It was the kind of plate appearance Jose Iglesias never used to have.Here it was, the biggest spot of Iglesias’ brief major-league career: The tying and winning runs were in scoring position with...

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TIM BRITTON
Posted May. 27, 2013 @ 7:07 pm

BOSTON — It was the kind of plate appearance Jose Iglesias never used to have.

Here it was, the biggest spot of Iglesias’ brief major-league career: The tying and winning runs were in scoring position with two outs in the bottom of the ninth in Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Indians.

And there was Iglesias, the Red Sox third baseman that day, fouling off a tough Chris Perez slider to stay alive, taking another off the plate, then watching, with his keenest eye, as ball four slid just off the corner.

Walks have rarely been so intense.

“That was the game right there,” David Ortiz said afterward.

It was the game, and another example of Iglesias’ continued maturation in 2013. Iglesias’ development as a player through the Red Sox system hasn’t been smooth, on and off the diamond. He’s not even a month removed from having to spend three days on the bench to recommit himself in the minor leagues.

But there has undoubtedly been growth for Iglesias, just 23, in the form of a renewed sense of responsibility for his game preparation and a stronger sense of his strengths and weaknesses in the batter’s box.

“He’s just getting better at realizing what he has to do to work every day,” said Boston first-base coach Arnie Beyeler, who managed Iglesias each of the last three seasons in the minors. “He just continually improves. We’re starting to see what he’s getting through development-wise and see it translate here at the big-league level.”

That’s what Iglesias’ benching at Pawtucket was all about — remembering why he was still in the minors in the first place. It was difficult to digest for a player who thought he had proven himself worthy of the bigs.

“Out there, it’s kind of difficult,” he said on Saturday. “You still want to win, you still try your best. But you go to the field and see three people in the stands and cold weather. So it’s kind of tough. You’ve got to push yourself a little harder.”

That period of disillusionment isn’t unusual for a player in Iglesias’ shoes, repeating a level for the third straight year.

“Everyone’s burning desire and goal is to play at this level,” Boston manager John Farrell said of the majors. “It’s clear there’s a greater level of energy, there’s a greater level of consequence, there’s a greater level of reward that comes with playing here. … Deep down, it’s clear that he saw himself as a major-league players. The fact he comes back here, he handles himself in a way that when he walks by you, you can sense that he believes in himself.”

“That’s part of minor-league baseball,” Beyeler added. “You’ve got to find a way to motivate yourself. It’s real easy to motivate yourself up here. It’s definitely a maturity process to realize things like that and know what he’s got to do. His work ethic every day continues to improve all the time.”

PawSox manager Gary DiSarcina saw the light turn on when Iglesias returned to his lineup in May.

“[It was] not so much a wakeup call; just kind of a reassessment,” DiSarcina said earlier this month. “He’s down here to work on consistency in every phase of the game and continue to do what he was doing up there. He was doing such a good job up there. Bring it down here and just keep that routine and that way of doing things.”

Now that Iglesias is back in the majors replacing the injured Will Middlebrooks for at least two weeks, he can show off some of the improvements he’s made in the box, specifically in the kind of pitch recognition he displayed Sunday afternoon. Pawtucket hitting coach Dave Joppie has mentioned how Iglesias’ hand-eye coordination often had him going after pitches that led to only weak contact. He’s laying off them now.

“He’s a ton different [as a hitter],” said Beyeler. “He’s got a little idea. He’s been up here a few times now, and he understands what works and what doesn’t work. His approach gets better every time he comes up here. He’s getting stronger, and that helps him drive the ball and use the whole field. His whole overall game just keeps getting better and better. That’s what you expect out of a young guy.”